Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Goodreads | Amazon Pre-Order

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2013)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 320
Series: The Legion (Book 1)
Source: ARC from Publisher Rep
ISBN-13: 9780316210171
Genre: Supernatural/Suspense/Thriller
Author: Website | Twitter | Blog

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn’t know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

__________________________________________________________

This is a book to devour. Kami Garcia has brought together a fantastic combination of great proportions. In a world that involves secret societies and hidden clues we find the Legion. The Legion exists just as surely and soundly as the all the other hidden societies in the world and it was founded shortly after the appearance of the Illuminati in a hope to defeat the heretics.

But Kennedy Waters doesn't know any of this. All she knows is that she has lost her mom and she is about to be shipped off to boarding school. She is alone and her life is broken...until she wakes up to Lukas and Jared in her bedroom, shooting a dead girl.

All that serves to do is drudge up more questions and confuse Kennedy, breaking her life into that many more pieces. This touches on one of the tiny problems with this book and it was that Kennedy just absorbed the information about ghosts and demons and was ready to run off with the twins. She didn't hit a level of appropriate denial or ask enough questions that would indicate her disbelief, she just seemed to take at face value. In the midst of trauma and confusion, it shouldn't be that easy.

As a whole, Kennedy was a likable character and each character was unique themselves. They didn't fit into any specific and stereotypical mold and that makes them brilliant. Kennedy has her talents but she makes mistakes that nearly cost them their lives, the little punk genius is well rounded and witty, the already-present-in-the-group girl is multi-faceted with her emotions, and the twins have a past and have been broken.

This makes their Da Vinci Code-like adventure even more exciting when you find out that the Legion is really fighting ghosties and demons. It it like taking two of my most favorite fandoms and mashing them together, this book was made for me. It is an easy read so it isn't too complex and that makes it a breeze to devour.

Just be prepared that much in the same tone as Cassandra Clare's writing, the moment you think you have something figured out, Kami Garcia is going to throw you a twist that will leave you in agony for the next book.

Rating out of 5:

ARC Giveaway: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

I just finished reading Under the Never Sky and it was a great read; a fantastic way to start my endulgence of 2012 debuts! That being the case, I have decided to share the wealth and pass on my ARC that was awarded to me from the publisher. Enter to win the goods and be on the look out for the coming review!

•     Contest Ends February 13, 2012 at 12:01AM EST
•     Open to US only (sorry)
•     Must be 13 or older
•     Extra Entries are available
•     Fill out the form below to enter!
•     Comments are love but not entries
•     Winner will have 48 Hours to respond or another will be chosen

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Coscom Entertainment (November 1, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (ebook): 280
Series: The Ferryman & The Flame (Book 1)
Source: Author
ISBN-13: 9781927339022
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Website

Bloom the weed of temptation and expire the great garden of life. Bloom the flower of sacrifice and sustain the great garden in strife.

The boy who follows death meets the girl who could cause the apocalypse.

Krishani thinks he’s doomed until he meets Kaliel, the one girl on the island of Avristar who isn’t afraid of him. She’s unlike the other girls, she swims with merfolk, talks to trees and blooms flowers with her touch. What he doesn’t know is that she’s a flame, one of nine individually hand crafted weapons, hidden in the body of a seemingly harmless girl.

__________________________________________________________________

Rhiannon Paille has created a wonderful and solid world of fantasy in her debut Young Adult novel Flame of Surrender. This book features two established characters Krishani and Kaliel as they are coming of age and facing the prophecies they are predisposed to fulfill.

It is easy to find yourself immersed in this tale of triumph, sacrifice, and love. At the moment, I regrettably have had to abandon our heroes in their journey for this book requires full attention and isn't meant to be read in simplicity. It is in the author's description and introduction to the world, that exist a lot of high intensity vocabulary worlds, as with any self created world, and a lot of concepts to absorb. This type of reading is akin to the same intensity that can be found wtih reading epic fantasies from authors like Tolkien or George R. R. Martin.

This book is not for the faint of heart or the light reader. Immediately, you are thrown into the lives of established characters in an established world and you should expect to have to catch up on your own. If you have the opportunity to tackle this selection, it could open up a world of fantastic wonder for you, but for some others, you may find yourself irrevocably lost which is where I found myself.

Review: Eve by Anna Carey

Eve by Anna Carey

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: HarperTeen (October 4, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 3
Series:  The Eve Trilogoy (Book 1)
Source: NetGalley
ISBN-13: 9780062048509
Genre: Dystopia

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

_________________________________________________________________

Overview:

This book takes some digesting; with ideas and realism, the concept of survival is wonderfully crafted. Eve is a wonderful, true heroine and we watch as the whole idea of truth begins to unravel as she experiences the world with us. A great dystopian society set in America in Anna Carey's new novel!

Review:

This book is thick and heavy with realistic ideas and concepts that could face the world's population someday. In a dystopian environment, in a world where the government sets such beautiful imagery, the truth behind such ecstasy is ugly and harsh.

In this world, one of the ugly truths is that children are squandered into the unknowing labor to the King. Eve is one of these bright young girls to whom we travel through this story with. What we see about Eve is that she is unique in this world; her determination, her intelligence, her truth, her cowardice, and her hidden strength. Eve is an amazingly true heroine for teens reading Young Adult literature right now. She is well structured, entirely not prepared, and begins to question the reality of the world and the truths that she has always known.

The pace of this book is steady, even if the idea of staying on the run to merely survive is a little overdone. Books like this, regardless of the expertise in its crafting, can tend to lean the reader towards the hopeless side. The same struggles that cycle repetitiouslyare there and in this way, Eve isn't perfect; she doesn't have all the answers. That is what makes her realistic and true in my eyes.

Anna Carey has set us into a world of chilling truths and suspenseful possibilities. With a character as individually unique is Eve, it will continue to be interesting to see this fight for survival. Will Eve grow into a strong, defined heroine? Will she continue to be a budding but utterly confused by the truth teenager? What will book two in this trilogy hold? I'm interested to find out.

Rating out of 5:

Review: Sacrifice by M. Metz and L. Burns

Sacrifice by Melinda Metz & Laura Burns

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Simon & Schuester Children's (September 20, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Paperback): 256
Series: Crave (Book 2)
Source: Simon & Schuester Galley Grab
ISBN-13: 9781442408180
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series Reviews: Book 1 (5★)

Gabriel and Shay are convinced that they can make their relationship work. Knowing that Shay is half-vampire, Gabriel thinks that his coven will embrace her as one of their own, but instead they view her as an abomination, a thing that doesn’t belong in either world. And they want her dead. Now Gabriel must make the ultimate decision - watch his love be killed by his coven or defy the people closest to him, the people he has spent centuries with to save her.
_________________________________________________________________

Overview:

I love the story that Metz and Burns started in Crave and it continues to maintain its hold on me through Sacrifice. Shay and Gabriel are amazingly constructed and the level of their love is something I "crave" to read about. While repitive at times, there are moments that are nail-biting and make you wonder how it is possible to make it out of this alive. Sacrifice.

Review:

I can't figure out where I want to start with this book. I was madly in love with Crave after my experiment of no reviews and an unknown title. There was so much to love about the story; I loved the spin on vampire lore just as much as I loved the characters.

The first book ends with a monstrous cliffhanger and in one of the smoothest transitions I have ever read, Sacrifice picks up in perfection at the exact following moment. This was an exciting to start to the book; however, the thrill didn't continue to propel excitement through the first chapters. This was the only problem that I had with this book. In the first book, we had such intricate details of the characters coupled with a great and enticing story that pulled you through the entire book. In the beginning of this book, we are left with our desire to have more Gabriel and Shay but not the pull of what was coming next. It was, in the beginning, a constant ebb and flow of  "I love Shay and need her" or "Gabriel loves me, he will find a way here" and any combination thereof with the two of them confessing their eternal love in the confines of their mind.

Once we break free of that cycle, it changes and the action picks up and we get a sense of the Shay that we fell in love with in the first place. We see "realistic" situations and scenarios as Shay takes on the world. In this book, we are introduced to tragedy, betrayal, and sacrifice. I was expecting Sacrifice to be more of a central theme, but it is only there, fleeting in the background and ending in a shocking turn of events.

Overall, I loved reading this book. I pushed through the lull of repetition to find a great story and a wonderful twist. So much of the background to the characters is woven into this story and I think it is a solid end, with no confusion and no questions. There is a possibility of another book, its end is not finite but leaves you with a solid feeling of resolution.

Rating out of 5:

Favorite Quote (ARC):

'You're with me. That's all that matters'...Even though it wasn't all that mattered, it was the most important thing. To both of them.

Review: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Goodreads | Amazon

Publisher: Hyperion (August 2, 2011)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 288
Source: Secondhand ARC
ISBN-13: 978-1-4231-3787-0
Genre: Fantasy/Suspense
Author: Twitter | Blog

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. 

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget. 
________________________________________________________

Overview:

This book has a unique feel to it; "entirely original yet achingly familiar". The beautiful writing crafted by Victoria Schwab is artful and demands your attention, though the voice seems almost to old for our young heroine. But one as young as Lexi, she is still as strong and defiant as she needs to be. In an instance where adults cannot see past the end of their noses, it takes her rebellion against all norms and odds to bring to light that which has been dead for centuries. It takes her resilience and her alliance with Cole to "set things right".

Review:

The Near Witch is an intriguingly dark mystery that surrounds the town of Near. Victoria Schwab has written a beautifully intense story with the most artistic prose. The quote in the blurb "entirely original, yet achingly familiar" sums up this tale brilliantly.

Schwab wraps her words around the concept of the main heroine, Lexi, giving her full depth and solidarity; the voice of the writing ages Lexi in a way that at first made it hard to fully construct the character. But as I drifted further into the writing and the story, Lexi's character became defined and her strength, her resolution was so profound. Her rebellion against the norms of Near set her aside and help identify her as the protagonist, the hero of the town of Near.

In addition to her, Cole is the stranger, the one who isn't supposed to exist. But he arrives in Near and changes Lexi's life forever. I was hoping for a deeper plot, perhaps that the two were destined to be together. Sadly, that isn't the case and the emotions of love are interesting yet painfully stereotypical, as the story takes place over the course of only days.

Other characters like the Thorne sisters were brilliantly crafted. The addition of the sisters, their knowledge, and their quirks were entirely entertaining and they were the only place we seemed to gather new cryptic information or history on the witch.

Throughout the story, we are uncovering the facts of the life and death of the Near Witch, the trails to the children, clues hidden in ancient stories, etc. The combination of the mystery and the careful craftsmanship of the prose held the story together through the redundancy of the days in the life of Lexi.

Victoria Schwab has crafted a wonderful story with a thoughtful set of characters and the most intriguing villains. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a haunting fairy tale, it is a beautiful read.

Rating out of 5: